Using mute/non-mute transitions to output an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, an example method for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system involves: a computing device receiving a first audio-stream that represents first audio-content; the computing device generating a first signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions included within the first audio-content; the computing device receiving a second audio-stream that represents second audio-content; the computing device generating a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions included within the second audio-content; the computing device making a determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; and responsive to the determination that the generated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack the threshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputting an alert.

USAGE AND TERMINOLOGY

Throughout this application, with respect to all reasonable derivativesof such terms, and unless otherwise specified (and/or unless theparticular context clearly dictates otherwise), each usage of “a” or“an” means at least one, and each usage of “the” means the at least one.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in thissection are not prior art to the claims in this disclosure and are notadmitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

An audio-broadcast system may be configured to generate and broadcast anaudio stream to a set of receivers (e.g., set-top boxes) for listeningby end-users. In some instances, two different audio-broadcast systems(a primary and a back-up) may be configured to generate the same (orsubstantially the same) audio streams at the same (or substantially thesame) time. As such, the primary and back-up systems may generateprimary and back-up streams, respectively. With this arrangement, theprimary system may broadcast the primary stream to the set of receiversunless and until the primary system becomes inoperative, in which casethe back-up system may take over and broadcast the back-up stream to theset of receivers instead.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, an example method for outputting an alert indicatinga functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system involves: acomputing device receiving a first audio-stream that represents firstaudio-content; the computing device generating a first signature based,at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions includedwithin the first audio-content; the computing device receiving a secondaudio-stream that represents second audio-content; the computing devicegenerating a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent ofmute/non-mute transitions included within the second audio-content; thecomputing device making a determination that the generatedfirst-signature and the generated second-signature lack a thresholdextent of similarity; and responsive to the determination that thegenerated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack thethreshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputting analert.

In a second aspect, a method for outputting an alert indicating afunctional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system involves: acomputing device receiving a first audio-stream that represents firstaudio-content; the computing device generating a first signature based,at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions includedwithin the first audio-content; the computing device receiving a secondsignature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within second audio-content represented by a secondaudio-stream; the computing device making a determination that thegenerated first-signature and the received second signature lack athreshold extent of similarity; and responsive to the determination thatthe generated first-signature and the received second signature lack thethreshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputting analert.

In a third aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has storedthereon program instructions that when executed cause a computing deviceto perform of a set of acts for outputting an alert indicating afunctional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system. The set of actsinvolve: receiving a first audio-stream that represents firstaudio-content; generating a first signature based, at least in part,upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions included within the firstaudio-content; receiving a second signature based, at least in part,upon an extent of audio transitions included within second audio-contentrepresented by a second audio-stream; making a determination that thegenerated first-signature and the received second signature lack athreshold extent of similarity; and responsive to the determination thatthe generated first-signature and the received second signature lack thethreshold extent of similarity, outputting an alert.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example systemaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating another example systemaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example computingdevice according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method according to thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram of an example mute/non-mute transitionsignature according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram of another example mute/non-mutetransition signature according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating another example method according tothe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

As indicated above, in some instances, primary and back-up systems maygenerate primary and back-up audio streams, respectively, and in theevent that the primary system becomes inoperable, the back-up system maybroadcast the back-up stream to take the place of the primary stream.Given this, at any given time, it may be desirable to determine afunctional state of the back-up system. In particular, it may bedesirable to determine whether the back-up system is in fact generatinga back-up stream, thus allowing the back-up system to take over ifnecessary. In the event that the back-up system is not generating aback-up stream, it may be desired to output an alert so that the issuewith the back-up system can be addressed.

One approach for determining a functional state of the back-up systeminvolves a computing device conducting a bit-by-bit comparison of aprimary stream and a corresponding purported back-up stream to determinewhether the streams are exact copies of each other. After making thiscomparison, if the device determines that there is a discrepancy betweenthe two streams, the device may output an alert (i.e., to indicate thatthe back-up system is not functioning properly).

However, in some cases, this approach may not provide useful results.This may be the case where the two streams are not identical, but wherethey represent respective portions of audio content that areperceptually indistinguishable from each other (from the perspective ofa typical end-listener). Such streams may not be identical for a varietyof reasons, such as due to a digital signal processing artifact that ispresent in one stream, but not in the other. Given this scenario,despite the fact that the back-up system is generating a back-up streamthat should be considered to be an acceptable back-up of the primarystream, due to the nature of the bit-by-bit comparison, the device maynonetheless output an alert.

The present disclosure provides an alternative and improved approach fordetermining a functional state of a back-up system, and for outputtingan alert indicating the functional state, and is based, at least inpart, on a consideration of mute/non-mute transitions occurring in audiocontent.

Audio content has many properties, including for example, loudness.Loudness, sometimes referred to as volume, is a level of auditorysensation having a value on a scale extending, in layman's terms, fromquiet to loud. The loudness level is determined by the amplitude at agiven location of a corresponding sound wave. When the loudness level isat or near the quiet end of the scale (a relatively low amplitude), theaudio content is generally perceived as being silent or “mute.” Notably,due to static and noise that are present in audio content, the audiocontent may be considered mute even when a slight level of loudness ispresent. On the other hand, when the loudness level is not at or nearthe quiet end of the scale (a relatively high amplitude), the audiocontent is generally perceived as having sound or being “non-mute.”Accordingly, as used herein, the term “mute content” refers to audiocontent that has a low enough level of loudness such that the audiocontent would generally perceptually be characterized as being mute. Asused herein, the term “non-mute content” refers to audio content that isnot mute content.

The term “mute/non-mute transition” refers to an instance where mutecontent is followed immediately by non-mute content (referred to hereinas a “to-non-mute transition”), or an instance where non-mute content isfollowed immediately by mute content (referred to herein as a “to-mutetransition”). These types of transitions may occur in a variety ofsituations. For example, where audio content transitions from a showsegment portion to a commercial portion, a short portion of mute contentmay serve as buffer to separate the show segment portion from thecommercial portion, and thus, a to-mute transition may occur between theend of the show segment portion and the beginning of the buffer.Likewise, a to-non-mute transition may occur between the end of thebuffer and the beginning of the commercial portion.

In one aspect, disclosed is a method that involves a computing devicereceiving a first audio-stream and a second audio-stream, one being aprimary stream, and the other being a corresponding purported back-upstream. The first stream represents first audio-content and the secondstream represents second audio-content.

The method further involves the device generating a first signaturebased, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitionsincluded within the first audio-content, and generating a secondsignature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within the second audio-content. Accordingly, thesignatures may indicate one or more occurrences within the respectiveaudio content where a mute/non-mute transition occurs.

The method further involves the device making a determination that thegenerated first-signature and the generated second-signature lack athreshold extent of similarity, and, responsive to the determination,the device outputting an alert. As compared to the bit-by-bit comparisonapproach described above, by generating and comparing signatures basedon mute/non-mute transitions of the represented content, the device maymore accurately determine whether or not a purported back-up stream isin fact a back-up stream. Indeed, in the case where the first and secondstreams are not identical, but where they represent respective portionsof audio content that are perceptually indistinguishable from eachother, the portions are likely to have the same (or similar) signaturesbased on mute/non-mute transitions, and therefore, in accordance withthe disclosed technique, the device may appropriately forgo outputtingan alert. On the other hand, in the case where the respective portionsof audio content are perceptually distinguishable from each other, inaccordance with the disclosed technique, the device may appropriatelyoutput an alert (i.e., to indicate that the back-up system is notfunctioning properly).

II. Example System

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example system 100.The system 100 may include at least two audio-broadcast systems,including a first system 102 a and a second system 102 b. One of thefirst and second systems 102 a, 102 b may serve as a primary system, andother may serve as a back-up system. The system 100 may further includea receiver 104, and a computing device 106.

The first system 102 a may include a generation system 108 a and adistribution system 110 a. The generation system 108 a may be configuredfor generating a first audio-stream 112 a, and may include variouscomponents, including for example an audio source, a router, a switcher,and/or a broadcast automation system. The generation system 108 a may beconnected to the distribution system 110 a, which in turn may beconnected to the receiver 104. The distribution system 110 a may beconfigured for distributing the first stream 112 a to the receiver 104.The distribution system 110 a may include various components such as aterrestrial antenna or a satellite, and may be configured fordistributing the first stream 112 a to the receiver 104 in a variety ofways (e.g., over the air transmission). The receiver 104 may take avariety of forms, including for example, a television or a televisionset-top box.

The second system 102 b may be configured in a same or similar manner tothat of the first system 102 a. As such, the second system 102 b mayinclude a generation system 108 b and a distribution system 110 b. Thegeneration system 108 b may be configured for generating a secondaudio-stream 112 b, and may include various components, including forexample a media source, a router, a switcher, and/or a broadcastautomation system. The generation system 108 b may be connected to thedistribution system 110 b, which in turn may be connected to thereceiver 104. The distribution system 110 b may be configured fordistributing the second stream 112 b to the receiver 104. Thedistribution system 110 b may include various components such as aterrestrial antenna or a satellite, and may be configured fordistributing the second stream 112 b to the receiver 104 in a variety ofways.

While the generation system 108 may generate the first stream 112 a andthe generation system 108 b may generate the second stream 112 b at orabout the same time, the system 100 may be configured such that only oneof the distribution systems 110 a, 110 b distributes its respectivegenerated stream to the receiver 104 at a given time. In practice,provided the first system 102 a is operational, the distribution system110 a may distribute the first stream 112 a to the receiver 104, unlessand until the first system 102 b becomes inoperative, in which case thesecond system 102 b may take over and the distribution system 110 b maydistribute the second stream 112 b to the receiver 104 instead. In thisscenario, the first system 102 a may be considered the primary systemand the second system 102 b may be considered the back-up system.Likewise, the first stream 112 a may be considered the primary stream,and the second stream 112 b may be considered the back-up stream.

Given the possibility of the second system 102 b taking over for thefirst system 102 a, at any given time, it may be desirable to determinea functional state of the second system 102 b. In particular, it may bedesirable to determine whether the second system 102 b is in factgenerating a back-up stream, thus allowing the second system 102 b totake over if necessary. In the event that the second up system 102 b isnot generating a back-up stream, it may be desired to generate alert sothat the issue with the second system 102 b can be addressed (e.g., byan operator or automatically by another system).

The device 106 may be configured to generate such an alert. The device106 may be connected to both generation systems 108 b, 108 b. With thisarrangement, the device 106 may receive the first stream 112 a and thesecond stream 112 b, and for each stream, generate a respectivesignature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within content represented by the respectivestream. Further, the device 106 may make a determination that thegenerated signatures lack a threshold extent of similarity, and inresponse to the determination, the device 106 may output an alert.

In some examples, an audio-broadcast system may be integrated withvideo-broadcast system, such that an audio stream representing audiocontent may be broadcast together with a video stream representingcorresponding video content. In some instances, the audio stream and thevideo stream may be combined into a single media stream.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example system 200.The system 200 may be the same as or similar to the system 100, exceptthat the system 200 includes another computing device 114, and acommunication network 116 connecting the device 106 and the device 114,and through which the device 106 and the device 114 may communicate. Thedevice 114 is also connected to the generation system 108 b. Thecommunication network 116 may take a variety of forms. For example, thecommunication network 116 may be a packet-switched network such as theInternet.

With this arrangement, the device 106 may receive the first stream 112a, and generate a first signature based, at least in part, upon anextent of mute/non-mute transitions included within content representedby the first stream 112 a. Further, the device 114 may receive thesecond stream 112 b, and generate a second signature based, at least inpart, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions included withincontent represented by the second stream 112 b. The device 114 maytransmit the generated second-signature to the device 106, and thedevice 106 may receive the same. The device 106 may then make adetermination that the generated first-signature and the received secondsignature lack a threshold extent of similarity, and in response to thedetermination, the device 106 may output an alert.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example computingdevice 300. The device 300 may represent the device 106 or the device114, for instance. The device 300 may be configured for performing avariety of functions or acts, such as those described in this disclosure(including the accompanying drawings). The device 300 may includevarious components, including for example, a processor 302, acommunication interface 304, a user interface 306, and a data storage308. The components of the device 300 may be communicatively connectedto each other (or other devices or systems) via a system bus, network,or other connection mechanism 310.

The processor 302 may include a general purpose processor (e.g., amicroprocessor) and/or a special purpose processor (e.g., a digitalsignal processor (DSP)).

The communication interface 304 may be configured to allow the device300 to communicate with one or more devices (or systems) according toone or more protocols. In one example, the communication interface 304may be a wired interface, such as an Ethernet interface or ahigh-definition serial-digital-interface (HD-SDI). As another example,the communication interface 304 may be a wireless interface, such as acellular or WI-FI interface.

The user interface 306 may facilitate interaction with a user of thedevice, if applicable. As such, the user interface 306 may include inputcomponents such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touch-sensitivepanel, a microphone, and a camera, and output components such as adisplay screen (which, for example, may be combined with atouch-sensitive panel), a sound speaker, and a haptic feedback system.

The data storage 308 may include one or more volatile, non-volatile,removable, and/or non-removable storage components, such as magnetic,optical, or flash storage, and may be integrated in whole or in partwith the processor 302. Further, the data storage 308 may take the formof a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having storedthereon program instructions (e.g., compiled or non-compiled programlogic and/or machine code) that, when executed by the processor 302,cause the device 300 to perform one or more functions or acts, such asthose described in this disclosure. Such program instructions may defineor be part of a discrete software application that can be executed inresponse to certain inputs received from the user interface 306, forinstance. The data storage 308 may also store other types of informationor data, such as those types described throughout this disclosure.

III. Example Operations

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 400. At block 402,the method may involve a computing device receiving a first audio-streamthat represents first audio-content. For instance, this may involve thedevice 106 receiving the first stream 112 a from the generation system108 a.

At block 404, the method may involve the computing device generating afirst signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within the first audio-content. For instance, thismay involve the device 106 generating the first signature based, atleast in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions includedwithin audio-content of the first stream 112 a. In one example, thedevice 106 may store data representing the generated first-signature indata storage.

The act of generating the first signature may involve identifying amute/non-mute transition within the first audio-content. This may beaccomplished using any technique for identifying mute/non-mutetransitions as known in the art. In one example, this may involveidentifying a mute/non-mute attribute for multiple sample sets of thefirst audio-content, and then comparing respective attributes ofadjacent sample sets to determine where mute/non-mute transitionsbetween adjacent sample sets occur (and/or what types of mute/non-mutetransitions they are). An example technique for identifying amute/non-mute attribute of a sample set is described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/629,430 entitled “Systems and Methods forIdentifying a Mute/Sound Frame Attribute,” which is hereby incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety.

The act of generating the first signature may also involve determining atype of the identified mute/non-mute transition. The identified type maybe, for example, “to mute” (which may also be referred to as “fromnon-mute”) or “to non-mute” (which may also be referred to as “frommute”). The act of generating the first signature may further involvedetermining a time associated with the identified mute/non-mutetransition. In one example, the device 106 may utilize a timesynchronization service (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) timesynchronization service), to determine a time at which playout of themute/non-mute transition occurs. The time may be represented in avariety of formats, such as by specifying a number of hours, minutes,seconds, and frames (which is commonly represented in HH:MM:SS:FFformat).

Depending on the manner in which the first signature is generated, thefirst signature may represent a time of and/or a type of one or moremute/non-mute transitions. Notably, in the case where the firstaudio-stream does not include any mute/non-mute transitions, the firstsignature may indicate that no such mute/non-mute transitions arepresent.

FIG. 5 depicts an example first signature 500 in the form of a tablewith columns for TIME (in HH:MM:SS:FF format) and TYPE. As shown, thefirst signature 500 includes an indication of three mute/non-mutetransitions (each represented as a row), namely a TO MUTE transitionoccurring at time 04:00:00:00, a TO NON-MUTE transition occurring attime 04:07:00:08, and a TO MUTE transition occurring at time04:07:30:02.

At block 406, the method may involve the computing device receiving asecond audio-stream that represents second audio-content. For instance,this may involve the device 106 receiving the second stream 112 b fromthe generation system 108 b.

At block 408, the method may involve the computing device generating asecond signature based, at least in part, upon an extent ofmute/non-mute transitions included within the second audio-content. Forinstance, this may involve the device 106 generating the secondsignature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within audio-content of the second stream 112 b. Inone example, the device 106 may store data representing the generatedsecond-signature in data storage.

The device 106 may generate the second signature in a same or a similarmanner as that in which it generates the first signature. FIG. 6 depictsan example second signature 600 again in the form of a table withcolumns for TIME (in HH:MM:SS:FF format) and TYPE. As shown, the secondsignature 600 includes an indication of three mute/non-mute transitions(each represented as a row), namely a TO MUTE transition occurring attime 04:00:00:00, a TO NON-MUTE transition occurring at time04:07:00:08, and a TO MUTE transition occurring at time 04:08:30:04.

At block 410, the method may involve the computing device making adetermination that the generated first-signature and the generatedsecond-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity. For instance,this may involve the device 106 making a determination that the firstsignature 500 and the second signature 600 lack a threshold extent ofsimilarity.

The threshold extent of similarity may be based on a variety of factors,such as the existence of one or more transitions, and/or the type ortime associated with any such transitions. For instance, the device 106may make the determination that the generated first-signature and thegenerated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity ifthere is any type of transition represented in the first signature thatis not represented in the second signature.

Additionally or alternatively, the device 106 may make the determinationthat the generated first-signature and the generated second-signaturelack a threshold extent of similarity if there is any type oftransition, associated with a first time, represented in the firstsignature that is not represented in the second signature and associatedwith a second time within a tolerance period of the first time. As such,in the case where the tolerance period is one minute, the device 106 maydetermine that the first signature 500 and the second signature 600 lacka threshold extent of similarity because the TO MUTE transition at04:07:30:02 represented by the first signature 500 is not represented inthe second signature 600 within that one minute range. Notably though,in the case where the tolerance period is ninety seconds, the device 106may determine that the first signature 500 and the second signature 600have a threshold extent of similarity because the TO MUTE transition at04:07:30:02 represented by the first signature 500 is represented in thesecond signature 600 at 04:08:30:04, which is within the ninety secondtolerance period.

At block 412, the method may involve responsive to the determinationthat the generated first-signature and the generated second-signaturelack the threshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputtingan alert. For instance, this may involve responsive to the determinationthat the first-signature 500 and the second-signature 600 lack thethreshold extent of similarity, the device 106 outputting an alert.

The act of outputting an alert may take a variety of forms. Forinstance, this may involve the device 106 displaying a message.Alternatively or additionally, this may involve the device 106transmitting an instruction to another system or device. Such aninstruction may cause the system or device to initiate a diagnosticand/or repair process in connection with the second system 102 b.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 700. At block 702,the method may involve a computing device receiving a first audio-streamthat represents first audio-content. For instance, this may involve thedevice 106 receiving the first stream 112 a from the generation system108 a.

At block 704, the method may involve the computing device generating afirst signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within the first audio-content. For instance, thismay involve the device 106 generating the first signature based, atleast in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitions includedwithin audio-content of the first stream 112 a.

At block 706, the method may involve the computing device receiving asecond signature based, at least in part, upon an extent ofmute/non-mute transitions included within second audio-contentrepresented by a second audio-stream. For instance, this may involve thedevice 106 receiving from the device 114 via the communication network116, a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent ofmute/non-mute transitions included within the audio content representedby the second stream 112 b.

At block 708, the method may involve the computing device making adetermination that the generated first-signature and the received secondsignature lack a threshold extent of similarity. For instance, this mayinvolve the device 106 making a determination that the first signature500 and the second signature 600 lack a threshold extent of similarity.

At block 710, the method may involve responsive to the determinationthat the generated first-signature and the received second signaturelack the threshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputtingan alert. For instance, this may involve responsive to the determinationthat the first-signature 500 and the second-signature 600 lack thethreshold extent of similarity, the device 106 outputting an alert.

The variations discussed above in connection with the method 400 arealso applicable in connection with the example method 700.

IV. Example Variations

While one or more acts have been described as being performed by certaindevices, systems, or entities (e.g., the computing device 106), the actsmay be performed by any device, system, or entity, such as thosedescribed in connection with the first system 100 or the second system200. Furthermore, the devices and systems need not be discrete entities.Some or all of the devices or systems may be combined in a singledevice.

In addition, the acts described herein need not be performed in thedisclosed order, although in some examples and order may be preferred.Also, not all acts need to be performed to achieve the desiredadvantages of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods, and thereforenot all acts are required. Variations discussed in connection with oneexample may be applied to all other examples disclosed herein.

While select examples of the present disclosure have been described,alterations and permutations of these examples will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Other changes, substitutions, andalterations are also possible without departing from the invention onits broader aspects as set forth in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for outputting an alert indicatinga functional state of a back-up audio-broadcast system, the methodcomprising: a computing device receiving a primary audio-streamgenerated by a primary audio-broadcast system, wherein the primary audiostream represents first audio content; the computing device generating afirst signature based, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mutetransitions included within the first audio-content; the computingdevice receiving a back-up audio-stream generated by the back-upaudio-broadcast system, wherein the back-up audio stream representssecond audio-content; the computing device generating a second signaturebased, at least in part, upon an extent of mute/non-mute transitionsincluded within the second audio-content; the computing device making adetermination that the generated first-signature and the generatedsecond-signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; and responsiveto the determination that the generated first-signature and thegenerated second-signature lack the threshold extent of similarity, thecomputing device outputting an alert.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereingenerating the first signature comprises identifying a mute/non-mutetransition within the first audio-content.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a type ofthe identified mute/non-mute transition.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein generating the first signature comprises determining a playouttime of the identified mute/non-mute transition.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the generated first-signature represents a first transitionthat has a first type and that is associated with a first time, whereinmaking the determination that the generated first-signature and thegenerated second-signature lack a threshold extent of similaritycomprises determining that the generated second-signature does notrepresent a second transition that has the first type and that isassociated with a time that is within a tolerance period of the firsttime.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting an alert comprisesdisplaying a message.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting analert comprises transmitting an instruction.
 8. A method for outputtingan alert indicating a functional state of a back-up audio-broadcastsystem, the method comprising: a computing device receiving a primaryaudio-stream generated by a primary audio-broadcast system, wherein theprimary audio-stream represents first audio content; the computingdevice generating a first signature based, at least in part, upon anextent of mute/non-mute transitions included within the firstaudio-content; the computing device receiving a second signature based,at least in part, upon an extent of audio transitions included withinsecond audio-content represented by a back-up audio-stream that isgenerated by the back-up audio-broadcast system; the computing devicemaking a determination that the generated first-signature and thereceived second signature lack a threshold extent of similarity; andresponsive to the determination that the generated first-signature andthe received second signature lack the threshold extent of similarity,the computing device outputting an alert.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein generating the first signature comprises identifying amute/non-mute transition within the first audio-content.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein generating the first signature comprises determininga type of the identified mute/non-mute transition.
 11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein generating the first signature comprises determining atime associated with the identified mute/non-mute transition.
 12. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the generated first-signature represents afirst transition that has a first type and that is associated with afirst time, wherein making the determination that the generatedfirst-signature and the generated second-signature lack a thresholdextent of similarity comprises determining that the generatedsecond-signature does not represent a second transition that has thefirst type and that is associated with a time that is within a toleranceperiod of the first time.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein outputtingan alert comprises displaying a message.
 14. The method of claim 9,wherein outputting an alert comprises transmitting an instruction.
 15. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon programinstructions that when executed cause a computing device to perform aset of acts for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of aback-up audio-broadcast system, the set of acts comprising: receiving aprimary audio-stream generated by a primary audio-broadcast system,wherein the primary audio-stream represents first audio-content;generating a first signature based, at least in part, upon an extent ofmute/non-mute transitions included within the first audio-content;receiving a second signature based, at least in part, upon an extent ofmute/non-mute transitions included within second audio-contentrepresented by a back-up audio-stream generated by the back-upaudio-broadcast system; making a determination that the generatedfirst-signature and the received second signature lack a thresholdextent of similarity; and responsive to the determination that thegenerated first-signature and the received second signature lack thethreshold extent of similarity, outputting an alert.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein generatingthe first signature comprises identifying a mute/non-mute transitionwithin the first audio-content.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein generating the first signature comprisesdetermining a type of the identified mute/non-mute transition.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein generatingthe first signature comprises determining a playout time of theidentified mute/non-mute transition.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the generatedfirst-signature represents a first transition that has a first type andthat is associated with a first time, wherein making the determinationthat the generated first-signature and the generated second-signaturelack a threshold extent of similarity comprises determining that thegenerated second-signature does not represent a second transition thathas the first type and that is associated with a time that is within atolerance period of the first time.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein outputting an alertcomprises displaying a message.